Parking Lot
by wellhowdythere
Summary: Running late for work, Sebastian runs into someone at the mall who, through subtle wisdom, he will never be able to forget...


This involves Ciel and Sebastian, but due to the fact that Ciel is aged at about 9 in this fanfic, will not contain yaoi. This is an au. Enjoy!

Parking Lot.

Sebastian Michaelis was running late. He had been instructed by his current employers, a small family with a child named Alois, to complete the Christmas shopping. One insanely detailed shopping list and five hours later, Sebastian was running late for his own celebration with his mother, and had yet to find the last gift on the list.

Fingering the wallet in his pocket, he rushed out of the mall with the rest of the holiday mob at a slow jog, desperate to get home at some point tonight- it was Christmas eve, after all- and feeling obligated to purchase that last gift, as well as a consolation gift for his mother for missing tonight, one of the few nights that they got to spend together. However, the rest of the shopping must be done elsewhere, so he ran out into the icy parking lot.

Nearing his car, Sebastian's perfectly polished dress shoes began to lose their grip on the wet pavement, the shiny leather and mound of packages in his arms doing little to stop his descent into the cold asphalt. Unfortunately, he was unable to stop his descent due to the aforementioned packages, so he landed flat on his ass in an icy puddle, the cold water quickly seeping into the back of his work-required suit. The packages went flying, the pristine white bags stained from the mud on the ground.

Swearing fluently, Sebastian got to his feet, wincing at the tenderness formed in his legs during the fall, and began the tedious task of retrieving his shopping from where it was strewn across the asphalt.

Approaching his car, the last bag collected and the contents salvaged as best as possible, Sebastian made to pull open the trunk when he heard a soft snuffling sound from under his car…a sound almost like human crying.

His pissed off mood evaporated in the wake of his curiosity. What on earth would someone be doing, crying under his car in a wet parking lot during the holiday season?

Kneeling down, this time ignoring the pain in his legs, Sebastian peered into the murky darkness of the area beneath his car. The fading light did nothing to help the visibility, but Sebastian was able to make out a small boy, pale skin glowing in the dark and thin shoulders racked with sobs. That was what the noise came from…

"Come on out" urged Sebastian. He may not know the child, but nobody deserved to be left in a freezing parking lot at night, especially on Christmas eve.

After several minutes of speech, Sebastian finally convinced the boy to come out, and glanced down in horror at what he saw.

The boy was stick thin, covered in dirt, and still crying, the tears dripping from his one good eye, which glowed sapphire blue in the night. A bandage was wrapped sloppily around the other, dirty, just like his clothes, which were simple rags, stuck to the frail body in the falling sleet. _He must be freezing,_ Sebastian thought. _And that bandage surely cannot be healthy._

Bending down over the boy slowly, in an attempt not to frighten him, he enquired as to the reason for the boy's tears.

The boy (Ciel, Sebastian had discovered) conceded.

"My…m-my mother, R-rachel, sh-she sent me h-here to get a f-few gifts, a-and, and, t-the money, it got t-taken…" Ciel said, speaking quietly through his sobs, yet maintaining his dignity. The way he sat, curled on the ground, but with his back straight and his shoulders proudly squared, reminded Sebastian of a prince. A little lord in commoner's clothes.

Grasping what Ciel had said, a sudden anger flowed through his veins. It was soothed by the feel of a small, cool hand resting on his thigh, and a gentle yet forceful voice.

"Don't worry about those boys. They're long gone. My family goes without gifts every year- this year won't be any different, but we've got each other. That's all we need."

The large blue eye was staring directly into his now, still sparkling with unshed tears, and Sebastian felt his own crimson orbs begin to cloud over.

"You know what the best gift I got today was? Meeting you. In all seriousness, meeting a stranger that doesn't scoff at me for my poor appearance, or brush me off, that's really a gift for me. So thank you. And merry Christmas."

They sat there for a few minutes longer, Sebastian awed by the wisdom of this child. Reaching into his wallet, he pulled out the money he had planned on spending for work and gave it to the boy. He would use it far better than the spoiled brat that he worked for ever would.

With a bob of thanks and a quick hug, they departed, Sebastian now seriously late and Ciel eager to buy the gifts.

They never saw each other again. But each year, they dreamed of crimson and sapphire, and generosity, and the stranger and the parking lot. And they wondered, and were at peace, having experienced the true magic of Christmas.

The End.


End file.
